CARGO MATTERS
FRUITFUL ENDEAVOUR
LATAM Cargo is upping its cold chain game across its network in Latin America,
observes the Deputy Editor.
Latin America and the
Caribbean is home to a vast
quantity of fresh produce
that is in high demand from
the rest of the world. As such,
perishable exports are numerous
and voluminous, including owers
from Colombia, mangoes from
Brazil and avocados from Mexico,
which is said to supply around
45% of the international avocado
market.
Su ce it to say, perishables
exports represent major business
for the region; by way of example,
while airports handled a total of
around 4m tonnes of air cargo
during 2018, each year, Colombia
exports more than 250,000 tonnes
of owers alone, while Chile
exports more than 500,000 tonnes
of fresh sh.
A fertile market
For LATAM Cargo, a major player
in the regional air cargo scene,
fresh products account for 45%
of all goods carried in a year. In
Guarulhos in particular, where
the Group’s main hub is stationed,
85% of all connecting cargo is
perishable. Keen to capitalise on
this fertile market and its strategic
position, the carrier invested
US$3.5m in a new temperaturecontrolled
facility (which opened
earelier this year) to accommodate
its vast perishables business for
products going to South America,
North America and Europe.
e new facility occupies an
area of 1,637 square metres, half
of which is equipped with cooling
chambers that o er refrigeration
ranges of 0 to 2°C and 2 to 12°C
for storage and re-palletising. e
temperature of any chamber can
also be increased up to 22°C.
With the new perishable
hub, the LATAM Group has
increased its perishable storage
capacity at São Paulo–Guarulhos
International airport by 33%.
Strategic focus
Claudio Torres, International
Commercial Director – South
America, expects the hub to
bring measurable reliability to the
carrier’s temperature-controlled
operations. “Our perishable hub
will help us to reduce the time
perishables are exposed to noncontrolled
temperatures by up to
20%, thanks to its capacity to o er
variable temperature ranges and
its strategic location closer to the
loading areas.”
Group CEO Andrés Bianchi says
that the new cooler is indicative
of the airline’s commitment to
its customers. “We know Latin
America is a major producer and
exporter of perishables, and that
its economic development largely
depends on the international
recognition of the quality of its
products,” he asserts. “Faced with
this reality, and as the leader in
air transportation in the region,
we took on the challenge of
providing excellence in service
and execution, and investing
in leading-edge infrastructure
to protect the freshness of the
products carried, with the high
standards our value proposal is
well known for.”
Fresh approach
e hub opened as part of the
launch of FRESH: an enhanced
version of LATAM Cargo’s
perishable care option that
provides more robust temperature
control across its network of cold
storage facilities. With its FRESH
product, LATAM Group will also
o er an online storage temperature
monitoring system, reduced
exposure time on the tarmac and a
predictive model that identi es the
best measures to ensure freshness
– and other bene ts besides. ghi
GUARULHOS: A STRATEGIC HUB
LATAM Group serves more than 33 destinations in South America and more than 14 cities in North
America, Europe, Africa and Asia from its Sao Paulo/Guarulhos hub. From here, more than half of the
perishable cargo transported is done so in the holds of its passenger aircraft, making it an important
location in the carrier’s objective to maximise use of its passenger fl eet.
Perishables coming through Guarulhos come from seven points of origin, namely, Santiago, Lima,
Bogota, Buenos Aires, Asuncion, Montevideo and Santa Cruz de la Sierra; these are on their way to their
fi nal destinations in North America, Europe and Africa. Of all the salmon transported by LATAM Group,
19% connects at Guarulhos before heading on to the US and China, primarily. Meanwhile 14% of the
asparagus produced in Peru comes through Guarulhos on its way to the UK and Germany, while 22% of
Peruvian mangoes pass through the hub en route to Spain, France and beyond.
14 February 2020 Ground Handling International